What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[paul-r-cfc]

Red Dog: The Early Years

This had caught my eye on a plane to Sydney last year when I seen the guy next to me watching it. I love dogs and had just watched the lead child actor in another film (Jasper Jones - another excellent coming of age Aussie film. Get it watched)

Seen it was on sky movies so good chance to finally give it a watch.

Turns out its a prequel to a film that was a huge hit down under, based on a true story about a dog that roamed the outback. Throw in a bit of drunken racism and you have the most Australian story imaginable.

Basically the story is a young boy goes to live with his grandad in the outback after the death of his father and institutionalisation of his mother. He is lonely initially but finds a dog and is lonely no more.

Pretty twee film and pretty predictable but an enjoyable 90 minutes. Great performance from the wee guy Levi Miller and the rest of the very diverse cast. Pulls on the heart strings at times and the cinematography is excellent. The outback makes for a stunning setting.

Geared as a family film but really, anyone with a soul and/or love of dogs will enjoy it. That's a couple of films now that have made me take an interest in Australian cinema. Need to watch the original now

[tongue_tied_danny]

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

This is one of my favourite films and I go back to it about once a year. Part road movie, part buddy movie and part heist movie. Its main strength is in the two lead characters. Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges are just so goddam affable that I wish they were my mates in real life. I also love the small town, Midwestern, Americana feel to it, with the endless highways, motels, diners etc.  Whenever I finish watching this I always feel like I want more.

10/10

[accies1874]

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018):

I thought it was absolutely sensational, from the writing, to the acting, to the haunting music and excellent cinematography. 

Right from the beginning I felt settled. Mildred's character is given a good outline in probably less than five minutes and with less than five lines of dialogue (that might be a slight exaggeration) due to Frances McDormand's brilliant way of conveying her with nothing less than how long she looks at something or how long she looks away. The director and editor also have to take enormous credit too as almost every shot seems to linger for as long as it should.  You begin to learn more about her personality as time goes on, which helps to give a) a grounding for her actions and b) one clear character to convey most of the themes. 

She is tough, swears a lot and dangerously determined, but ultimately she is a victim of the actions of others and has had to adapt to this. In fact pretty much every character in the film is a victim of something that they had absolutely no control over and they all look for someone to blame. Ultimately though, it's saying that everyone has good in them beyond this. However, it doesn't tackle this or any of its tough themes in the preachy bullshit manner that last year's 'Battle of the Sexes' or 'Wonder Woman' did, instead opting for showing the viewer how bad, for example, racism by simply showing you racism. That's also what I thought made 'Moonlight' so great. 

There are so many eye-catching shots but one that encapsulates the entire film is one towards the end; it is a shot from behind the billboards, not seeing what's on them, but the fact that they are there stands for so much more than what is said on them. This is emblematic of how nothing really matters to you other than your own interpretation - something constantly brought up throughout the film ("his word against yours").

[GrahamJags]

Changing Lanes - 6/10. Ben Affleck and Samuel L Jackson in a story of How two lives intertwine and affect each other’s day. Decent enough, without being anything spectacular.

The Commuter - 8/10. Saw this last night out of curiosity, because the trailers make it look hilariously dreadful, however I was pleasantly surprised. The most fun I’ve had in the cinema in ages. The twists are fairly predictable, but it’s just a great watch. As good an action film as I’ve seen (not many) in years.

[MSU]

Paddington 2 -- Just perfect. Brilliant casting of Hugh Grant as the baddie and Brendon Gleeson as Knuckles McGinty. In these days of Marvel Universe pish where plot takes a backseat to CGI and things exploding and shoehorning characters just for the sake of it, it's quite rare to get a movie as joyously beautiful as this, where it's all heart and simple storytelling and genuinely laugh out loud funny. I absolutely loved it. 10/10

[AyrshireTon]

Saw the new Jumanji film on Sunday and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Quite funny at times.

[paul-r-cfc]

John Wick Chapter 2

Personally felt it was an improvement on the first film in terms of plot. Nice wee insight into the film's underworld. The bawz oot action is thoroughly enjoyable again.

Look forward to the third chapter in 2019 and the TV series which has just been confirmed

[accies1874]

The Warriors (1979):

I really enjoyed it, but not without its faults.

First of all, I found the overly over-the-top world actually really interesting as there are clearly plenty of tales to tell about the gangs, hierarchy and class divide, however I didn't find myself engaged with pretty much any of the characters that inhabit said world. The one possible exception would be Mercy as she (mostly) behaved and spoke the way that a person would, unlike the titular warriors who were pretty much all far too wooden and on the nose with their dialogue. I understand that the world is supposed to be bizarre but if you don't believe in or care about the characters that the story follows, then what's the point?

What interested me was its pertinence in modern times despite turning 40 this year. That said, it could have been commenting on a number of historical things. It seemed to be looking at if one person said you did something bad, then it can snowball into a full-blown manhunt, ruin people's lives, or get them arrested or killed.

I also liked how it portrayed the idea of always being watched, both metaphorically and physically. You never feel that the warriors are safe due to the director option for a lot of wide shots to show their entire surroundings as if there are things that you should be aware of hiding in the frame. The many tracking shots also made me expect someone to suddenly appear as it moves along. 

[jimmy boo]

Wild.

Reese Witherspoon decides to walk the Pacific Crest Trail solo from the Mexican border to the Canadian border following the death of her mother and dabbling with hard drugs. Based on a true story and worth a watch.........7/10.

[Mackie The Staggie]

Free Fire - 4/10 (Amazon Prime)

I mind seeing the trailers and wanting to see it, but was too busy to see it in the cinema.....so glad I didn't waste money.  The premise is good and has a strong cast ( Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley) but it's poorly executed.

The film starts with heavy and clunky dialogue which seems to drag but only lasts for about 15 mins before we move onto the 'action' of the film.....I say action but it's mostly the main characters crawling on their bellies while possessing the aim of imperial Stormtroppers.  It try's to ramp up the tension by creating countless scenarios where they get shot and are in life and death battles but there comes a point where any compassion for any of the characters has long since filtered away and you simply stop caring.  The obvious homage to Reservoir Dogs falls short because it lacks the same whit, charm and substance,this would make for a good short movie but by stretching this to a feature length film it just falls flat.

[accies1874]

The Post (2018):

Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks join forces (why aren't you there yet?) to provide a very poignant yet uplifting tale about The Washington Post's attempted publishing of the Pentagon Papers. 

For the first maybe half-hour or so I thought it verged very close to 'Spotlight' (reporters hunting for a deeply-rooted conspiracy) meets 'The Iron Lady' (Meryl Streep coming to terms with being a woman in a man's world), but it manages to reach beyond that and become something very different. I love 'Spotlight' for what it is - a bleak portrayal of journalists chasing something horrible - but 'The Post' takes the central topic and decides to run with the morality to the point that your conscience can't take anymore come the end. They instantly become different when 'The Post' shifts its focus to publishing the story as opposed to researching it. They know that the right thing to do is to release the papers for the sake of the country, but they are putting many people's lives at risk for the sake of, at first, trying to stop a threat. The parallels between Ben and Kay and those in charge of the Vietnam War are laced throughout but never forcefully alluded to. 

The film is certainly very transitory as even when it feels that it slows down, foundations are either being laid to make later moments feel grander (such as much of the film's opening focussing on dull financial speak with Kay), or it serves to give you reasons for why they want to push the publishing so much. In fact, it isn't until they first see the leak that the film kicks in as a witty back-and-forth thriller, but the slow start (something the characters are clearly used to) is just a motivation. 

 

[Savage Henry]

15 hours ago, accies1874 said:

The Post (2018):

Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks join forces (why aren't you there yet?) to provide a very poignant yet uplifting tale about The Washington Post's attempted publishing of the Pentagon Papers. 

For the first maybe half-hour or so I thought it verged very close to 'Spotlight' (reporters hunting for a deeply-rooted conspiracy) meets 'The Iron Lady' (Meryl Streep coming to terms with being a woman in a man's world), but it manages to reach beyond that and become something very different. I love 'Spotlight' for what it is - a bleak portrayal of journalists chasing something horrible - but 'The Post' takes the central topic and decides to run with the morality to the point that your conscience can't take anymore come the end. They instantly become different when 'The Post' shifts its focus to publishing the story as opposed to researching it. They know that the right thing to do is to release the papers for the sake of the country, but they are putting many people's lives at risk for the sake of, at first, trying to stop a threat. The parallels between Ben and Kay and those in charge of the Vietnam War are laced throughout but never forcefully alluded to. 

The film is certainly very transitory as even when it feels that it slows down, foundations are either being laid to make later moments feel grander (such as much of the film's opening focussing on dull financial speak with Kay), or it serves to give you reasons for why they want to push the publishing so much. In fact, it isn't until they first see the leak that the film kicks in as a witty back-and-forth thriller, but the slow start (something the characters are clearly used to) is just a motivation. 

 

Just back from seeing this.  It's a very contemporary film - a corrupt president in battle against a legitimate press.  There are a bit too many lectures about freedom of the press and the founding fathers, and how the press can't be suppressed.  That said, the two leads are magnificent - particularly Streep - and there is a fascinating story, which  probably should be shown as a double bill with All The President's Men.   And in these oddball times, who is to say those lectures aren't without place.  

It's a Hollywood take on what I think was a fascinating historical period, with reflections on the ethics of the Pentagon Papers among other things.  Enjoyed it a lot, although I think it's quite a superficial examination on half the story.

[accies1874]

3 hours ago, Savage Henry said:

Just back from seeing this.  It's a very contemporary film - a corrupt president in battle against a legitimate press.  There are a bit too many lectures about freedom of the press and the founding fathers, and how the press can't be suppressed.  That said, the two leads are magnificent - particularly Streep - and there is a fascinating story, which  probably should be shown as a double bill with All The President's Men.   And in these oddball times, who is to say those lectures aren't without place.  

It's a Hollywood take on what I think was a fascinating historical period, with reflections on the ethics of the Pentagon Papers among other things.  Enjoyed it a lot, although I think it's quite a superficial examination on half the story.

I actually thought Hanks was the better lead, although the supporting cast pushed both of them very hard. 

I'm not too clued up about that period of history (or really any period) so I don't know quite how many liberties they took with the story, but there were definitely questionable moments even for me. 

[19QOS19]

Haven't to catch the start of Shawshank last night.
Decided to watch the first ten mins while I finished my drink.
You know what happened...

[emoji38] What's with that film?! The Green Mile is another of mine.

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

Kingsman: Golden Circle:

Stumbled upon the first one when it premiered on sky a few years ago and was blown away, one of those "didn't hear much of but loved it" films, so the sequel had a lot to live up to, and in parts it did, but on the whole, it didn't.
Thought it was enjoyable and a nice break from the norm, but championing Channing Tatum as a star in it, when his total screen time was about 15 minutes was poor. A decent story and some light hearted action scenes give it a 6/10

[D.A.F.C]

Logan Lucky
Decent enough and didn't take itself too seriously.

[D.A.F.C]

Haven't to catch the start of Shawshank last night.
Decided to watch the first ten mins while I finished my drink.
You know what happened...

He escaped from prison?

[Flybhoy]

On 13/01/2018 at 21:02, wellinwigan said:

Get out 

8/10

Black guy goes to visit his white gfs parents who aren't all they seem. Enjoyable film 

Sky movies

 

On 13/01/2018 at 21:16, spud131 said:

Watched this lady night. Still not quite sure if I enjoyed it or not. Certainly not a bad film.

Got this on my SKY planner....worth watching? Is it a racial tension type drama like American History X ?

[Flybhoy]

On 20/01/2018 at 10:06, Tynieness said:

Haven't to catch the start of Shawshank last night.

Decided to watch the first ten mins while I finished my drink.

You know what happened...

The closing scene where Red and Andy embrace on the beach is pure tears in the eyes material.

[Mark Connolly]

40 minutes ago, Flybhoy said:

The closing scene where Red and Andy embrace on the beach is pure tears in the eyes material.